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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Health education is the profession of educating
people about health. [1] Areas
within this profession encompass environmental health, physical
health, social health, emotional health, intellectual health, and
spiritual health. [2] It can
be defined as the principle by which individuals and groups of
people learn to behave in a manner conducive to the promotion,
maintenance, or restoration of health. However, as there are multiple
definitions of health, there
are also multiple definitions of health education. The Joint
Committee on Health Education and Promotion Terminology of 2001
defined Health Education as "any combination of planned learning
experiences based on sound theories that provide individuals,
groups, and communities the opportunity to acquire information and
the skills needed to make quality health decisions." [3] The
World Health Organization defined Health Education as "compris[ing]
[of] consciously constructed opportunities for learning involving
some form of communication designed to improve health literacy,
including improving knowledge, and developing life skills which are
conducive to individual and community health." [4]

The Role of the Health
Educator

A health educator is “a professionally prepared individual who
serves in a variety of roles and is specifically trained to use
appropriate educational strategies and methods to facilitate the
development of policies, procedures, interventions, and systems
conducive to the health of individuals ,groups, and communities”
(Joint Committee on Terminology, 2001, p. 100). As a Health
Educator you are here to help and enhance the health of others. In
wanting to better understand the role of a health educator in
January 1979 the Role Delineation Project was put into place. This
made a basic role for the health educator. A Framework for the
Development of Competency-Based Curricula for Entry Level Health
Educators(NCHEC, 1985) and the revised version A Competency-Based
Framework for the Professional Development of Certified Health
Education Specialists (NCHEC,1996) resulted from the project and
these documents made up the framework. Which were made into the
seven areas of responsibilities.

Motivation

Education for health begins with people. It hopes to motivate
them with whatever interests they may have in improving their living conditions. Its aim is to develop in
them a sense of responsibility for health conditions for themselves
as individuals, as members of families, and as communities. In
communicable disease control, health education commonly includes an
appraisal of what is known by a population about a disease, an
assessment of habits and attitudes of the people as they relate to
spread and frequency of the disease, and the presentation of
specific means to remedy observed deficiencies.[5]

Health education is also an effective tool that helps improve
health in developing nations. It not only teaches prevention and
basic health knowledge but also conditions ideas that re-shape
everyday habits of people with unhealthy lifestyles in developing
countries. This type of conditioning not only affects the immediate
recipients of such education but also future generations will
benefit from an improved and properly cultivated ideas about health
that will eventually be ingrained with widely spread health
education. Moreover, besides physical health prevention, health
education can also provide more aid and help people deal healthier
with situations of extreme stress, anxiety, depression or other
emotional disturbances to lessen the impact of these sorts of
mental and emotional constituents, which can consequently lead to
detrimental physical effects. [6], [7]

Credentialing

Credentialing is the process by which the qualifications of
licensed professionals, organizational members or an organization
are determined by assessing the individuals or group background and
legitimacy through a standardized process. Accreditation,
licensure, or certifications are all forms of credentialing.

In 1978, Helen Cleary, the president of the Society for Public
Health Education (SOPHE) started the process of certification of
health educators. Prior to this, there was no certification for
individual health educators, with exception to the licensing for
school health educators. The only accreditation available in this
field was for school health and public health professional
preparation programs.

Her initial response was to incorporate experts in the field and
to promote funding for the process. The director if the Division of
Associated Health Professions in the Bureau of Health Manpower of
the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Thomas Hatch,
became interested in the project. To ensure that the commonalities
between health educators across the spectrum of professions would
be sufficient enough to create a set of standards, Dr. Cleary spent
a great amount of time to create the first conference called the
Bethesda Conference. In attendance were interested professionals
who covered the possibility of creating credentialing within the
profession.

With the success of the conference and the consensus that the
standardization of the profession was vital, those who organized
the conference created the National Task Force in the Preparation
and Practice of Health Educators. Funding for this endeavor became
available in January 1979, and role delineation became a realistic
vision for the future. They presented the framework for the system
in 1981 and published entry-level criteria in 1983. Seven areas of
responsibility, 29 areas of competency and 79 sub-competencies were
required of health education professionals for approximately 20
years for entry-level educators.

In 1986 a second conference was held in Bethesda, Maryland to
further the credentialing process. In June 1988, the National Task
Force in the Preparation and Practice of Health Educators became
the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.
(NCHEC). Their mission was to improve development of the field by
promoting, preparing and certifying health education specialists.
The NCHEC has three division boards that included preparation,
professional development and certification of health educator
professionals. The third board, which is called the Division Board
of Certification of Health Education Specialist (DBCHES), has the
responsibility of developing and administering the CHES exam. An
initial certification process allowed 1,558 individuals to be
chartered into the program through a recommendation and application
process. The first exam was given in 1990.

In order for a candidate to sit for a exam they must have either
a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from and accredited
institution, and an official transcript that shows a major in
health education, Community Health Education, Public Health
Education, or School Health Education, etc. The transcript will be
accepted if it reflects 25 semester hours or 37 quarter hours in
health education preparation and covers the 7 responsibilities
covered in the framework.

In 1998 a project called the Competencies Update Project (CUP)
began. The purpose of the CUP project was to up-date entry-level
requirements and to develop advanced-level competences. Through
research the CUP project created the requirements for three levels,
which included entry-level, Advanced I and Advanced II educators.
[8][9]

National Health Education
Standards

The National Health Education Standards (NHES) are written
expectations for what students should know and be able to do by
grades 2, 5, 8, and 12 to promote personal, family, and community
health. The standards provide a framework for curriculum
development and selection, instruction, and student assessment in
health education. The performance indicators articulate
specifically what students should know or be able to do in support
of each standard by the conclusion of each of the following grade
spans: Pre-K–Grade 2; Grade 3–Grade 5; Grade 6–Grade 8; and Grade
9–Grade 12. The performance indicators serve as a blueprint for
organizing student assessment.[10]

Standard 1

Standard 2

Standard 3

Standard 4

Standard 5

Standard 6

Standard 7

Standard 8

Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion
and disease prevention to enhance health.

Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture,
media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors.

Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid
information, products, and services to enhance health.

Students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal
communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health
risks.

Students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making
skills to enhance health.

Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting
skills to enhance health.

Students will demonstrate the ability to practice
health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks.

Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal,
family, and community health.

Performance Indicators for Pre-K-Grade 2

Performance Indicators for Pre-K-Grade 2

Performance Indicators for Pre-K-Grade 2

Performance Indicators for Pre-K-Grade 2

Performance Indicators for Pre-K-Grade 2

Performance Indicators for Pre-K-Grade 2

Performance Indicators for Pre-K-Grade 2

Performance Indicators for Pre-K-Grade 2

1.2.1 Identify that healthy behaviors impact personal health.

1.2.2 Recognize that there are multiple dimensions of
health.

1.2.3 Describe ways to prevent communicable diseases.

1.2.4 List ways to prevent comes.

1.2.5 Describe why it is important to seek health care.

2.2.1 Identify how the family influences personal health
practices and behaviors.

2.2.2 Identify what the school can do to support personal health
practices and behaviors.

2.2.3 Describe how the media can influence health behaviors.

3.2.1 Identify trusted adults and professionals who can help
promote health.

3.2.2 Identify ways to locate school and community health
helpers.

4.2.1 Demonstrate healthy ways to express needs, wants, and
feelings.

4.2.2 Demonstrate listening skills to enhance health.

4.2.3 Demonstrate ways to respond in an unwanted, threatening,
or dangerous situation.

4.2.4 Demonstrate ways to tell a trusted adult if threatened or
harmed.

5.2.1 Identify situations when a health-related decision is
needed.

5.2.2 Differentiate between situations when a health-related
decision can be made individually or when assistance is needed.

Health Education Code of
Ethics

The Health Education Code of Ethics has been a work in progress
since approximately 1976, begun by the Society of Public Health
Education (SOPHE). Various Public Health and Health Education
organizations such as the American Association of Health Education
(AAHE), the Coalition of National Health Education Organizations
(CNHEO), SOPHE, and others collaborated year after year to devise a
unified standard of ethics that health educators would be held
accountable to professionally. In 1995, the National Commission for
Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC) proposed a
profession-wide standard at the conference: Health Education
Profession in the Twenty-First Century: Setting the Stage.
Post-conference, an ethics task force was developed with the
purpose of solidifying and unifying proposed ethical standards. The
document was eventually unanimously approved and ratified by all
involved organizations in November 1999 and has since then been
used as the standard for practicing health educators.

"The Code of Ethics that has evolved from this long and arduous
process is not seen as a completed project. Rather, it is
envisioned as a living document that will continue to evolve as the
practice of Health Education changes to meet the challenges of the
new millennium." [11]

Health Education
Code of Ethics Full Text

PREAMBLE The Health Education profession is
dedicated to excellence in the practice of promoting individual,
family, organizational, and community health. The Code of Ethics
provides a framework of shared values within which Health Education
is practiced. The responsibility of each Health Educator is to
aspire to the highest possible standards of conduct and to
encourage the ethical behavior of all those with whom they
work.

Article I: Responsibility to the Public A
Health Educator’s ultimate responsibility is to educate people for
the purpose of promoting, maintaining, and improving individual,
family, and community health. When a conflict of issues arises
among individuals, groups, organizations, agencies, or
institutions, health educators must consider all issues and give
priority to those that promote wellness and quality of living
through principles of self-determination and freedom of choice for
the individual.

Article II: Responsibility to the Profession
Health Educators are responsible for their professional behavior,
for the reputation of their profession, and for promoting ethical
conduct among their colleagues.

Article III: Responsibility to Employers Health
Educators recognize the boundaries of their professional competence
and are accountable for their professional activities and
actions.

Article IV: Responsibility in the Delivery of Health
Education Health Educators promote integrity in the
delivery of health education. They respect the rights, dignity,
confidentiality, and worth of all people by adapting strategies and
methods to the needs of diverse populations and communities.

Article V: Responsibility in Research and
Evaluation Health Educators contribute to the health of
the population and to the profession through research and
evaluation activities. When planning and conducting research or
evaluation, health educators do so in accordance with federal and
state laws and regulations, organizational and institutional
policies, and professional standards.

Article VI: Responsibility in Professional
Preparation Those involved in the preparation and training
of Health Educators have an obligation to accord learners the same
respect and treatment given other groups by providing quality
education that benefits the profession and the public.[12]

All versions of the document are available on the Coalition of
National Health Education's site: http://www.cnheo.org/. The
National Health Education Code of Ethics is the property of the
Coalition of National Health Education.

National
Organizations for Public Health/Health Education

American Public Health Association (APHA) APHA
is the main voice for public health advocacy that is the oldest
organization of public health sine 1872. The American Public Health
Association aims to “protect all Americans and their communities
from preventable, serious health threats and strives to assure
community-based health promotion and disease preventions.” Any
individual can become a member and benefit in online access and
monthly printed issues of The Nation’s Health and the American
Journal of Public Health [13]

Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) The
mission of SOPHE is to provide global leadership to the profession
of health education and health promotion and to promote the health
of society through advances in health education theory and
research, excellence in professional preparation and practice, and
advocacy for public policies conducive to health, and the
achievement of health equity for all. Membership is open to all who
have an interest in health education and or work in health
education in schools, medical care settings, worksites, community
based organizations, state/local government, and international
agencies. Founded in 1950, SOPHE publishes 2 indexed, peer-reviewed
journals, Health Education & Behavior and Health Promotion
Practice. [14]

American School Health Association (ASHA) The
American School Health Association was founded in 1972 by a group
of physicians that already belonged to the American Public Health
Association. This group specializes in school-aged health
specifically. Over the years it has snowballed and now includes any
person that can be a part of a child’s life, from dentists, to
counselors and school nurses. The American School Health
Association mission “is to protect and promote the health of
children and youth by supporting coordinated school health programs
as a foundation for school success." [15]

American Association of Health Education/American
Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance
(AAHE/AAHPERD) The AAHE/AAHPERD is said to be the largest
organization of professionals that supports physical education;
which includes leisure, fitness, dance, and health promotion. That
is only a few; this incorporates all that is physical movement.
This organization is an alliance with five national associations
and six districts and is there to provide a comprehensive and
coordinated array of resources to help support practitioners to
improve their skills and always be learning new things. This
organization was first stated in November 1885. William Gilbert
Anderson had been out of medical school for two years and was
working with many other people that were in the gymnastic field. He
wanted them to get together to discuss their field and this
organization was created. Today AAHPERD serves 25,000 members and
has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia. [16]

Health Education Career
Opportunities

Health Care Settings: these include hospitals
(for-profit and public), medical care clinics, home health
agencies, HMOs and PPOs. Here, a health educator teaches employees
how to be healthy. Patient education positions are far and few
between because insurance companies do not cover the costs. [1]

Public Health Agencies: are official, tax
funded, government agencies. They provide police protection,
educational systems, as well as clean air and water. Public health
departments provide health services and are organized by a city,
county, state, or federal government. [2]

School Health Education: involves all
strategies, activities, and services offered by, in, or in
association with schools that are designed to promote students'
physical, emotional, and social development. School health involves
teaching students about health and health related behaviors.
Curriculum and programs are based on the school's expectations and
health. [3]

Non Profit Voluntary Health Agencies: are
created by concerned citizens to deal with health needs not met by
governmental agencies. Missions include public education,
professional education, patient education, research, direct
services and support to or for people directly affected by a
specific health or medical problem. Usually funded by such means as
private donations, grants, and fund-raisers.[4]

Higher Education: typically two types of
positions health educators hold including academic, or faculty or
health educator in a student health service or wellness center. As
a faculty member, the health educator typically has three major
responsibilities: teaching, community and professional service, and
scholarly research. As a health educator in a university health
service or wellness center, the major responsibility is to plan,
implement, and evaluate health promotion and education programs for
program participants. [5]

Work site Health Promotion: is a combination of
educational, organizational and environmental activities designed
to improve the health and safety of employees and their families.
These work site wellness programs offer an additional setting for
health educators and allow them to reach segments of the population
that are not easily reached through traditional community health
programs. Some work site health promotion Some work site health
promotion activities include; smoking cessation, stress management,
bulletin boards, newsletters, and much more. [6]

Independent Consulting and Government
Contracting: international, national, regional, sate, and
local organizations contract with independent consultants for many
reasons. They may be hired to assess individual and community needs
for health education; plan, implement, administer and evaluate
health education strategies; conduct research; serve as health
education resource person; and or communicate about and advocate
for health and health education. Government contractors are often
behind national health education programs, government reports,
public information web sites and telephone lines, media campaigns,
conferences, and health education materials. [7]

Influential
Individuals in Health Education: Past and Present

Dorothy Bird Nyswander

Dr. Nyswander was born on Sept. 29, 1894. She earned her
Bachelor's and Master's degree at the University of Nevada and
received her Doctorate in educational psychology at Berkeley. She
is a founder of the School of Public Health at the University of
California at Berkeley. Dr. Nysawnder pursued her interest in
public health at the Works Progress Administration during the
depression. She served with the Federal Works Agency contributing
to the establishment of nursery schools and child care centers to
accommodate young mothers working in defense plants. She set up
these centers in 15 northeastern states. This did not happen
quickly so she advocated all over the nation to train people to act
as foster parents for the children of working women. Dr. Nyswander
became the director of the City health Center in Astoria Queens in
1939. She spent her time as director promoting the idea of New York
City keeping an eye on the health of children. They would do this
by keeping records that would follow them to whatever school they
might move to. She wrote "Solving School Health Problems" which is
an analysis of the health issues in New York children. This is
still used in public health education courses today.[17]

Mayhew Derryberry

Dr. Derryberry was born December 25, 1902 and earned his
Bachelor's degree in chemistry and mathematics at the University of
Tennessee. He began his career in 1926 with the American Child
Health Association as the director of one of the first large-scale
studies of the health status of the nation’s schoolchildren. A year
after his work with the American Child Health Association he earned
his Master's degree in education and psychology at Columbia
University. He then went on to earn his doctorate and moved to the
New York City Health Department as the secretary to the sanitary
superintendent. He finally moved to Washington DC and joined the US
Public Health Service as a senior public health analyst. He became
chief of the Public Health Service and began assembling a team of
behavioral scientists. They studied the nexus of behavior, social
factors, and disease. Two scientists and Derryberry conducted the
study of the role of health beliefs in explaining utilization of
public health screening services. This work contributed to the
development of the Health Belief Model. This provided an important
theoretical foundation for modern health education. His legacy was
very important because he engaged behavioral and social scientists
in the problems of public health and gave importance to the role of
that health education plays on human health.[18]

Elena Sliepcevich

Elena
Sliepcevich was a leading figure in the development of health
education both as an academic discipline and a profession. She
graduated from the University of Ireland in 1939 and received her
Master's degree from the University of Michigan in 1949. She
received her doctorate in physical education from Springfield
College in 1955. After completing her schooling, Elena Sliepcevich
worked at Ohio State University in 1961 as a professor of health
education. There she helped direct the School Health Education
Study from 1961-1969, and most health education curricula used in
schools today are based on the ten conceptual areas identified by
the School Health Education Study. These ten areas of focus include
community health, consumer health, environmental health, family
life, mental and emotional health, injury prevention and safety,
nutrition, personal health, prevention and control of disease, and
drug use and abuse. [19]

Helen Agnes Cleary

Helen Cleary was born March 28, 1914 at Petersburg, South
Australia. She trained as a nurse at the Broken Hill and District
Hospital in New South Wales. She became a general nurse in 1941,
and an obstetric nurse in 1942. She joined the Royal Australian Air
Force Nursing Service as a sister on November 15, 1943. Along with
other RAAF nurses, she would partake in evacuations throughout New
Guinea and Borneo, which earned the nurses the nickname "the flying
angels", and were also known as the "glamor girls" of the air
force. In April 1945, she was ranked No. 2 Medical Air Evacuation
Transport Unit, and began bringing thousands of Australian and
British servicemen from prisoner-of-war camps after Japan had
surrendered. She and other nurses cared for many patients who
suffered from malnutrition and dysentery. During the Korean War,
Cleary was charge sister on the RAAF, where she organized medical
evacuations of Australians from Korea, fought for better treatment
and conditions of the critically wounded, and nursed recently
exchanged Prisoners of War. On August 18, 1967, Ms. Cleary was made
honorary nursing sister to Queen Elizabeth II. She had been
appointed an associate of the Royal Red Cross in 1960, and became a
leading member in 1968 for her contributions to the training of
medical staff, and for maintaining "the high ideals of the nursing
profession". She retired on March 28, 1969, and later died on
August 26, 1987.[20]

Delbert Oberteuffer

A long time health educator, Delbert Oberteuffer definitely made
his mark on the physical education and health education world. He
was born in Portland, Oregon in 1902 where he remained through
college, attending the University of Oregon receiving his Bachelors
Degree. His next step took him to the prestigious Columbia
University where he obtained his Masters of Arts and Doctor of
Philosophy Degree. He furthered his education by becoming a
professor at Ohio State University where he taught from 1932 until
1966. During his time there, he was head of the Men's Physical
Education Department for 25 years. After years of hard work, he was
rewarded with numerous jobs including the President of the American
School Health Association and The College of Physical Education
Association. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1981 at the age of
79. He is Survived by his wife, Katherine, and his son, Theodore K.
Oberteuffer.[21]

Howard Hoyman

Howard Hoyman is mainly recognized for his work in sex education
and introductions of ecology concepts. He is credited for
developing the original sex education program for students in
grades 1 through 12. The model Hoyman created heavily influenced
the thinking of many health educators. Hoyman received his
Bachelors Degree from Ohio State University in 1931. He then went
on to earn his Masters degree in 1932 and Doctorate in 1945 from
the University of Colombia. Throughout his career he wrote over 200
articles and was honored many times by multiple organizations such
as Phi Beta Kappa and the American Public Health Association. Dr.
Hoyman retired in 1970 as A Professor Emeritus. [22]

Lloyd Kolbe

Lloyd Kolbe received his B.S. form Towson University and then
received his Ph.D. and M.Ed. from the University of Toledo during
the 1970’s. Dr. Kolbe played a huge role in the development of many
health programs applied to the daily life of different age groups.
He received the award for Excellence in Prevention and Control of
Chronic Disease, which is the highest recognition in his department
of work, for his work forming the Division of Adolescent and School
Health. Dr. Kolbe was the Director of this program for 15 years. He
has also taken time to write and publish numerous books such as
Food marketing to Children and Youth and School as well as
Terrorism Related to Advancing and Improving the Nation’s
Health. [23]

Robert Morgan Pigg

University of Florida professor, Robert Morgan Pigg, started his
health career in 1969 when he received his Bachelors Degree in
Health, Physical Education, and Recreation from Middle Tennessee
State University. A year later he received his M.Ed; also from
Middle Tennessee University before moving on to Indian University
where he obtained his H.S.D. in 1974 and his M.P.H. in 1980. He
held many jobs at numerous Universities including Western Kentucky
University, University of Georgia, Indiana University, and the
University of Florida where he currently resides today. Pigg's main
focus of interest is the promotion of health towards children and
adolescents. After spending 20 years as Editor for the Journal of
Health, he was given the job as Department Chair in 2007 for The
University of Florida. [24]